Baghdad ( AsiaNews) – Baghdad’s local government has decided to show its solidarity with the Christians and try to stem the exodus of the minority from the country with a Christmas tree on the banks of the Tigris River. The initiative was announced by Salah Abdel Razzaq , Head of the Cultural Committee of the provincial council in Baghdad.
The 5 meter tall tree will be erected in the coming days in the neighborhood of Karrada , on the eastern side of theTigris River tigers, where Christians and Muslims, Shiites and Sunnis, live together peacefully.
After the U.S. invasion in 2003 , Islamic extremists have targeted the Christian minority , killing hundreds of people, including priests , businessmen , doctors, and politicians. This situation has prompted thousands of Christians to flee Iraq, the number has dropped over the past 10 years from over 2 million to less than 300 thousand .
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